Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
The Avengers Mission/Adventures of Atlantis: The Lost Empire The film opens with a massive tsunami descending upon the mythical city of Atlantis. The population flees for the safety of the city center as the empire's boundaries are sealed off by mysterious energy shields projected by the Guardians of Atlantis. During the chaos, the Atlantean Queen is forced to part from her daughter Kida, as she is summoned by the Heart of Atlantis and departs into the sky. Kida and her father, the King of Atlantis, watch in terror as their once mighty city is plunged beneath the waves. In 1914, [http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Milo_James_Thatch Milo Thatch] is greeted by Helga Sinclair, who invites Milo to see her employer. Her employer is Preston B. Whitmore, an eccentric millionaire who attended Georgetown University with Milo's grandfather, Thaddeus Thatch, in 1866. Upon meeting, Preston presents Milo with the Shepherd's Journal, a long-lost book that may unlock the secrets of Atlantis. Preston wants Milo to translate the manuscript and lead an expedition to Atlantis, which has already been prepared. Milo accepts his mission. Milo sets out aboard the ''Ulysses'', a submarine commanded by Commander Lyle Rourke, the mercenary leader, and Helga. Among the crew are Vincenzo 'Vinny' Santorini, the crew's Italian demolitions expert, Gaetan 'Mole' Moliere, a craze French geologist, Dr. Joshua Sweet, the ship's medical officer, Audrey Ramirez, a teenage tomboy mechanic, Jebidiah 'Cookie' Farnsworth, the ship's Western redneck cook, and Wilhelmina Packard, an elderly communications expert. The team departs in search for the ancient city, with Milo guiding the way. He explains that in order to reach Atlantis, they must find a massive crevasse that will lead them to an underground air pocket providing the passageway to Atlantis. During the expedition, the ''Ulysses'' is attacked by the ''[http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Leviathan Leviathan]'', the mythical guardian of Atlantis. To Milo's shock, the creature is in fact a massive war machine. The ''Ulysses'' launches its entire complement of Subpods to attack the ''Leviathan'', but many are destroyed in action. The ''Ulysses'' attempts to face off with the creature and is instead struck down by beams of massive electricity, forcing the crew to abandon ship. The survivors flee in Evac-Subs and the few remaining Subpods, retreating towards the crevasse where Atlantis is purportedly hidden. Sadly, only a handful of the crew survives as the ''Leviathan'' relentlessly fires upon the subs, destroying all but one Evac-Sub and one Subpod. Among the survivors are Rourke, Helga, Milo, and the entire excavation team. The survivors make their way through the massive underground caverns leading to Atlantis, meeting many dangers along the way. Eventually, they set up camp at a mysterious ruin and Milo is finally allowed into the team as a friend, as his geeky persona had previously alienated him. After their camp is destroyed by mysterious glowing insects, the team attempts to cross a bridge, but ends up at the bottom of a dormant volcano. Mole drills a tunnel out of the volcano. The crew are then met by Kida, now a young woman. Kida leads the group to her father, King Kashekim Nedakh, who tells them to leave. Rourke requests the King allow his team to stay the night and the King grants it. Meanwhile, Kida enlists Milo's help in deciphering runes throughout the city. After some time, Milo and Kida are surrounded by Rourke along with his mercenaries and discover that he and Helga intend to sell the Heart of Atlantis. Rourke then offers Milo to join him, so he can locate the crystal. Milo then challenges Rourke. Rourke decides that he has had enough of Milo's resistance and instead proceeds to doing things his way; he forces Milo into being his translator and then confronts King Nedakh. When King Nedakh refuses to disclose the location of the Heart, Rourke fatally punches him. Dr. Sweet, angered at this brazen attack, abandons Rourke to treat the King's wounds. Rourke then forces Milo to find the Heart for him. The Heart reaches into Kida's mind. Kida then strides toward the crystal, which levitates her up to it and merges with her, as Rourke, Sinclair and Milo watch in surprise and are all equally shocked. Rourke locks Kida in a steel crate and prepares to leave for the caves. When Rourke leaves Milo behind, Vinnie, Audrey, Mole, Cookie, and Packard, bothered by Rourke treating Milo and the Atlanteans harshly, decide to stay behind as well. King Nedakh, tells Milo about the Heart of Atlantis. The King then gives his crystal to Milo and tells him that his burden would have becomes Kida's when the time was right. He tells Milo to save [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis Atlantis] and Kida, and dies. Milo is initially hesitant after realizing how he endangered Atlantis, but Sweet convinces him that their is still a chance to make things right. Milo assembles his friends and the Atlanteans in an attempt to attack Rourke and his mercenaries. A lengthy air battle ensues, and its the attacking Atlanteans with their flying "stone fish" against the defending mercenaries with their "Whitmore Wings". The battle eventually is in favor of the Atlanteans as the Whitmore Wings are shot down. Helga and Rourke attempt to escape to the surface with a hot air balloon, but are slowed by Milo's attacks. Rourke then betrays Helga and sends her falling to her death in order to lose weight and gain altitude. As she lays dying, Helga fires a flare at the airship, sending it crashing down while Milo and Rourke battle over Kida's fate. Rourke is killed when Milo slashes his arm with a crystallized shard of glass, crystallizing Rourke's body and eventually getting blown apart when his body hits the rotors. By this point, Kida is recovered and the mercenaries are either dead or have fled. The blast from Rourke's airship triggers a volcanic eruption that threatens to destroy the city. Milo returns to Atlantis with the Heart/Kida in tow. The Heart/Kida activates the city's sentinels, who erect an energy shield to stop the flow of lava, saving the remnants of the city. Kida is then returned ot her human state and reunites with Milo. The crew returns to the surface, adorned with some of Atlantis' treasures as their reward. Milo remains behind in Atlantis with Kida, where they give her father a proper memorial and initiate the city's reconstruction.=